trusting your intution

According to Francis P Cholle author of "The Intuitive Compass", intuition is "a process that gives us the ability to know something directly without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and nonconscious parts of our mind, and also between instinct and reason".

It's a gut feeling, it comes from the heart not the mind.

And we all have it. But having it, listening to it, and trusting it are all very different things. You may hear/feel your intuition but not listen to it. You may hear/feel and listen to your intuition and not trust it.

Through this card the angels are asking you to tune into your intution, listen to it AND trust it. Because your life is being guided and you're receiving guidance and direction from angels and spirit through your intuition. So listen with your heart and act on your instincts (please note that instincts are not the same as impulses). The more you listen and act on your intuition the stronger your intuition will grow.

So trust that the messages you are receiving are from loved ones and trusted, loving energies; messages that are for your highest good.

The symbols I feel most drawn to on the card are the keyhole, the river and the river's 'path', and the falling leaves.

When you stand even a short distance from a keyhole and try to see through, you can see nothing, only darkness. You can have no idea what scene is hidden on the other side of the keyhole because it's hidden from you... until you move close and bring your eye right up to the keyhole and peer through. Then you can see what was once hidden from you. You can see a snapshot of a scene that is unfolding on the other side of the keyhole.

The scene on this card is that a flowing river. The river appears to be quite fast moving and has a path laid out ahead, along which to flow. On either side of the river are fields of green, green being the colour of healing. And in the far distance are mountains which represent the opportunity to conquer your challenges; they're not insurmountable obstacles but experiences.

In the foreground we see autumnal leaves falling.

Taking these symbols together, the angels are inviting you to listen to your intuition, become inquisitive, and look closer to what messages you're receiving from your intuition because when you open your eyes and step closer to that keyhole you'll see before you a path that has been created for you. You do not have to dig your own path (your river does not need to forge through gorges or caves, it is freely running alongside fields), it is already laid out in front of you. You need only 'go with the flow' and trust that where it takes you is where you need to go.

Whilst you shall be guided along this path and whilst you are being invited to trust that you will flow easily, swiftly and smoothly along your path, in the distance you may encounter opportunities (mountains) that you may need to conquer in some way. However we do not yet know if you will need to go up and over these mountains/opportunties (ie take the more difficult route), wind round these mountains/opportunities (take the easier but longer route) or, indeed, by the time you get there, the power of the water ahead of you has already forged a way through those mountains/opportunities through which you can travel freely and easily.

The autumnal leaves in the foreground are on the side of the keyhole where you are currently standing. As trees begin to prepare for the winter months, they lose their leaves so they do not waste energy feeding a part of them that can regrow in the spring months. Similarly the angels are inviting you to cast off anything that is stopping you listening to your intution and moving forward. Don't expend your precious life energy trying to bring your conscious mind into play when your intuition invites you to act, simply step forward with trust and go with the flow.

You might be reading this thinking "it's all fine and dandy for someone else to listen to their intuition. But my intuition isn't always right. I've listened to it in the past but I was wrong to listen". To that I would suggest you think about a couple of things:

• When you listened to your inuition did you act on it when you heard the message or did you allow your conscious mind to take over control and either delay you from acting or alter your actions?
• If, in the past, you acted on your intution and later it seemed like the wrong decision, don't let that sway you or stop you trusting your intuition because often, with the perspective of time, the things that seemed to be mistakes were actually your best experiences.

The angels are inviting you to trust you intution now because you are being lovingly guided and supported.

Reference: This beautiful card is from Gateway Oracle Deck by Denise Linn, artwork by Jesse Reisch